A year later, many of the former workers are still living with the consequences. Some have been deported, others remain in immigration proceedings, and many families continue to grapple with the economic and emotional fallout.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur fight is not done yet,\u201d Lazaro said. \u201cOur liberation from detention doesn\u2019t mean that we are free. We are still facing a lot of challenges and restrictions. We are still fighting to survive, and our families are continuing to deal with the trauma of the separation.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the case of one man detained, two of his sons are still in therapy to deal with the trauma stemming from that day.<\/p>\n
The father of four, who asked not to be identified out of fear of the impact it could have on his pending immigration case, said he\u2019s come to rely on his two oldest children to provide for the family. He is unable to work due to his pending case. His family had to borrow money from loved ones as recently as this year to help pay the rent and bills.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, my hands are tied. I can\u2019t really do anything for my family,\u201d he said. \u201cI basically depend on them. They\u2019re the head of the family now. It doesn\u2019t seem fair to put so many responsibilities on them at such a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n
And this father\u2019s children are not the only ones facing the hardships of the aftermath of the raids.<\/p>\n
Yurien, the daughter of Mario, an Ambiance worker who was also detained, spoke at the press conference and chose not to use her last name. She detailed what it was like to witness her father shackled at the ankles.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780779619_5_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Yurien, no last name given, speaks Saturday outside of Ambiance Apparel in the Fashion District about when her father Mario was arrested and detained by ICE a year ago.<\/p>\n
(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
Yurien said her younger brother, who has a disability, spent months asking for their father, unable to understand why he was no longer at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching my father be detained while we stood powerless was one of the most traumatic experiences of our lives,\u201d Yurien said. \u201cThe emotional and mental impact of the day stayed with our family long after the rate ended. \u2029And even after his liberation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those who gathered for the press conference to advocate for a new state emergency relief fund to support those impacted by the federal agents\u2019 actions was the California Network for Immigrant Worker Justice (CNIWJ).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been asking for $500 million from the state budget to create an emergency fund for our immigrant workers affected by the raids,\u201d said Veronica Alvarado with CNIWJ. \u201cThese lawmakers have an opportunity to support workers by providing financial aid when they see themselves impacted by the raids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarado criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for investing so much money into the California rainy day fund, explaining that the immigration situation is an emergency that needs attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilies like Yurien and everyone impacted by Lucha Zaopteca should not have to count solely on their families to figure out how they\u2019re going to eat,\u201d Alvarado said. \u201cThis community contributes to our economy and supports our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Ambiance Apparel landed on ICE\u2019s radar after the agency initiated a workplace audit last February. A Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency found that 46% of the workforce of Ambiance and its related companies were working illegally in the U.S.<\/p>\n
Benjamin Gluck, a lawyer representing Ambiance, told the Times that Ambiance \u201ccomplies with federal and state laws when it hires employees, including laws about how it may screen candidates and documents. Ambiance has always only hired people it believes have the legal right to work in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n
Months after ICE initiated the audit, they descended on Ambiance, arresting more than 40 people, according to some estimates. Homeland Security did not respond to questions about how many workers were arrested that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lived in a city that claimed to be a sanctuary, yet, on and since June 6, it has continued to fail its immigrant and indigenous communities, communities whose labor and contributions help the city drive,\u201d Yurien said. \u201cWhat happened that day was an injustice. A federal injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n
As word of the raid spread, a crowd of protesters outside the warehouse began to grow. Among them was David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union in California, who was arrested and accused of obstructing federal authorities during the operation. Huerta is still awaiting trial in the case.<\/p>\n
The 46-year-old father who spoke at Saturday\u2019s event, said he has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years. He described being held in Adelanto for three months before finally being released on bond in August, with the help of the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t wish what happened to me on my worst enemy,\u201d he said. \u201cI came out traumatized.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had worked at Ambiance for nearly five years, first stacking boxes of clothes and then later moving into shipping. Like many of the workers arrested, he was the primary breadwinner for his family. But when he was finally released from detention, he was unable to work as his immigration case proceeded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019m still confined, I can\u2019t do anything,\u201d he said. \u201cMy hands and feet are tied. I can\u2019t work, I don\u2019t leave home out of fear of encountering [ICE] again. My kids are supporting me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man\u2019s 23-year-old daughter explained that she didn\u2019t have a choice. It was simply something she had to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of just had to step into his role,\u201d his daughter said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of responsibility, but we don\u2019t like to see it that way, because we\u2019re doing it because we want to be able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
His two youngest children, now both in high school, started therapy last year to cope with the uncertainty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re the ones who suffered most,\u201d their father said. \u201cMy biggest concern right now \u2014 aside from my case, you could say \u2014 is my children. It\u2019s a trauma that remains. It\u2019s difficult to overcome that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he awaits an upcoming immigration hearing this summer, he said he feels like he\u2019s \u201cin limbo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if they\u2019re going to let me stay or deport me,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to separate from my family. I\u2019m doing everything I can to stay with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some of the immigrant workers detained that day are now free, Lucha Zapoteca and its members say they are going to continue to advocate for those who remain in custody.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur resilience didn\u2019t start with this raid, and it\u2019s not gonna end here,\u201d Lazaro said. \u201cWe want to keep fighting against the detentions and deportations and making sure that everyone is free.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A year ago, on June 6, federal agents descended on Ambiance Apparel, detaining dozens of workers in one…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":849272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[347073,1582,276,6517,3603,2385,246,8761,17246,5410,2961,347076,224,5337,9105,8149,347075,17253,1628,347074],"class_list":["post-849271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ambiance-apparel","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-case","tag-daughter","tag-day","tag-family","tag-father","tag-homeland-security","tag-ice","tag-la","tag-lazaro","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-month","tag-raid","tag-veronica-alvarado","tag-worker","tag-year","tag-yurien"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}